Makeup caddy

ABSTRACT

A portable caddy for transporting cosmetics or other personal hygiene products includes a caddy body, a set of drawers for storing various items such as cosmetics, a handle for carrying the portable caddy, and a mirror stand that is designed to rest on top of the caddy body at an angle so that the mirror can be used during, for example, the application of cosmetics. The mirror stand can be placed on and held by the caddy at different angles depending on user preference, and the mirror stand can be used separate from the caddy body and can be stored on and held by the caddy body during storage.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No.61/103,378, filed Oct. 7, 2008, and U.S. provisional application No.61/166,084, filed Apr. 2, 2009, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable caddy for transportingcosmetics and/or hygiene products and, more particularly, to a portablecaddy including a lighted mirror which may be used either while mountedon an upper surface of the portable caddy or while completely removedfrom the portable caddy.

2. Description of the Related Art

Portable caddies, such as makeup caddies, allow one to transport items,such as cosmetics and other products, between rooms of a house, and toand from other locations, including college dormitories, hotels, and soon.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a well-designed portable caddy for transporting cosmetics,hygiene and other types of products.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a portablecaddy that is designed to assist in the application of cosmetics and useof hygiene products.

These and other objects are achieved by a portable caddy fortransporting a variety of objects and that is capable in assisting inthe application of makeup. In accordance with the invention, the caddybody includes a set of drawers that are slidable into and out of thefront of the caddy body, a handle pivotally connected to the top of thecaddy body, and a mirror stand that includes a mirror and that rests ontop of the caddy when not in use and that rests against the handle at anangle during use.

As an aspect of the present invention, the caddy body includes a brimthat extends along a front of the caddy body's top and at leastpartially along the sides, and the mirror stand is sized to fit withinthe brim when in the stored position.

As another aspect of the present invention, the handle is movablebetween a fully lowered position and a raised position, and the ends ofthe handle are disposed adjacent to the brim when in the fully loweredposition.

As a feature of this aspect, the handle, when in the fully loweredposition, is flush with the brim.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes a setof locking mechanisms that extend from the brim and support the mirrorstand when in use.

As a feature of this aspect, the caddy includes multiple sets of lockingmechanisms to allow for the mirror stand to be supported at differentpositions and at different angles relative to the top surface of thecaddy.

As a variation of this feature, each of the locking mechanisms can bepositioned at different locations along the right and left sides of thebrim to support the mirror stand at a different angle for each of thosedifferent locations.

As yet another aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes aribbed tray on its top surface.

As yet a further aspect of the present invention, the caddy includes aset of stacked drawers that are pivotally mounted to the caddy body.

As a feature of this aspect, the stacked drawers are half moon in shapeand pivot from opposite sides of the caddy body.

As yet an additional aspect of the present invention, the drawers arelockable.

As another aspect of the present invention, the portable caddy includesshelves that extend from the left and right sides of the caddy body, andat least one of the shelves includes a set of holes for supportingcosmetic tools.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the mirror stand may beused separate from the caddy body.

As an additional aspect of the present invention, the mirror standincludes a set of light emitting diodes that are disposed around themirror.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the present inventionwill become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, andthe novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and notintended to limit the present invention solely thereto, will best beappreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals denote like elements and parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the portable caddy of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the light mirror portion of theportable caddy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention entails a portable caddy (or, simply, “caddy”) fortransporting cosmetics and/or other personal hygiene items betweenvarious locations, including the home, a hotel, and other places.Additionally, as further discussed below, the caddy assists its user inthe application of cosmetics or in the use of hygiene items in a varietyof ways.

Referring now the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of theportable caddy of the present invention. Portable caddy 10, as shown,includes a body 20 that is rectangular in shape and thus includes afront surface 21, opposed side surfaces 22, and a top surface 23. Thefront surface 21 of caddy 10 includes a series of transparent drawersfor storing various cosmetic and/or hygienic items and which enable auser to easily see the contents thereof when the drawers are closed. Apair of such drawers 30 extends straight out from the body of the caddy10 when a user grabs their handles 31.

Just beneath the drawers 30, there is provided a second pair of drawers32 which are pivotally connected to the body at “b” and “c.” Drawers 32are half-moon in shape and swivel outwardly from the body 20 of thecaddy 10 in opposing directions when a user grabs and pulls on theirhandles 31. Drawers 73 provide a butterfly configuration when swiveledto their fully open position (not shown), thereby enabling the user toeasily distinguish between the items contained by each of the drawers astheir contents can be contrasted side-by-side. Such configuration andswivel movement also enables full access to items contained in thedrawers 32 even in tight, cramped spaces since a user is able to graspcontents within the drawers without their having to be moved to theirfully open position.

Each of the drawers 30 and 32 preferably are lockable in one or morepositions so that can be secured in place, either in the closed or openpositions. Such locking prevents the inadvertent movement of thedrawers, thereby preventing or minimizing the loss and/or shifting ofthe carried items when the caddy 10 is moved.

Each of the opposed side surfaces 22 of caddy 10 includes a shelf 40that extends outwardly from the body 20. Each shelf 40 preferablyincludes a set of openings (or apertures) 41 into which one or moretools or other devices may be inserted. As shown, the stem 42 of anexemplary cosmetic tool 43 is inserted through opening 41 of shelf 40.

Top surface 23 of the caddy 10 includes a brim portion 50. At least partof the brim portion 50 includes a carrying handle 60 that isfrictionally adjustable at “d” between a fully-raised position (notshown) to allow the user to lift and carry the caddy 10, and afully-lowered position (not shown) in which the handle lies flush withthe remaining portions of the brim portion 50 when the caddy 10 is in astored position.

Caddy 10 further includes a mirror-light stand 70 (sometimes calledherein, for convenience, simply “mirror”) that includes a central mirrorportion 71 and a series of battery-powered LED lights 72 on laterallyopposite sides 73 and 74 thereof. It is to be understood, however, thatother mirror-light stand configurations are possible. For example, theLED lights may be arranged to appear in groups or patterns, or otheraesthetically pleasing or functional configurations.

Brim 50 further accommodates flanged locking mechanisms 80 on both sidesfor securing the mirror 70 in position. In one version, the caddyincludes multiple pairs of locking mechanisms 80 to allow for theplacement/holding of the mirror in multiple configurations, that is,angles. As shown in FIG. 1, the mirror is supported on its lower end bythe rear set of locking mechanisms so that the mirror is positioned asshown. In another configuration, the mirror may be positioned so that itis supported by the front set of locking mechanisms 80 whereby themirror is slanted at a greater angle than that shown in FIG. 1. In afurther variation, additional pairs of locking mechanisms are providedto allow for yet additional positioning/arrangements of the mirror. Inyet another variation, a pair of locking mechanisms can be positioned atdifferent locations along the brim (e.g., by sliding the lockingmechanisms along the brim or otherwise moving the locking mechanisms) toposition the mirror to a desired location/angle.

The top surface of the caddy 10 includes a ribbed tray 90 within which,in addition to the drawers 30 and 32, the user can also store desireditems. Mirror 70 may be placed fully on ribbed tray 90 in a downwardposition (or upward) when the mirror is not being used and duringstorage of the caddy. The mirror-light stand 70 may also be used alone,such as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the mirror-light stand 70 may also beused freestanding. Preferably, the mirror includes a battery compartmentfor holding a battery for providing a source of power to each of LEDS orother types of lights within the mirror.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the mirror-light stand 70 is positionableatop the caddy's top surface 23 to allow the user to easily view theapplication of cosmetics once they have been removed from the drawers 30or 32. Placement of the mirror in this manner is simply accomplished byfirst positioning the handle 88 in its fully-lowered position (notshown), and resting the mirror-light stand 70 on top of ribbed tray 90.The tilted positioning of the light-stand 70 advantageously assists withthe appropriate reflection of the user's image and lighting from thelights 72 to enable, for example, the even application of cosmetics bythe user.

Versatile placement of the mirror-light stand 70, i.e., positioning atopthe top surface 23 of the caddy 10, or in a freestanding position,provides the user a distinct number of advantages. For instance,positioning the mirror-light stand 70 atop the caddy 10 enables the userfull use of her hands, thereby enhancing proper cosmetic applicationwhile also allowing her to select, in a non-cumbersome way, from thecontents of the drawers 30 and 32. Alternatively, the ability to placethe mirror-light stand 70 in a freestanding position allows the user toposition the mirror-light stand 70 on one of multiple surfaces of herchoosing so as to ease cosmetic application. For example, a user is ableto position the mirror-light stand 70 on any surface which is located asuitable height that allows full viewing of one's facial image whencosmetics are to be applied; thereby avoiding uncomfortable positioningoften associated with reflective surfaces that are immovably located ata fixed height, such as a wall-mounted mirror. These and otheradvantages stemming from the versatile placement of the mirror-lightstand 70 will also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

It is to be understood that while the caddy of the present invention hasbeen described in connection with the transport of personal cosmeticsand tools usable for their application, that various other items mayalso be carried by the caddy. When such other items are carried by thecaddy, it will also be understood that its mirror-light stand may alsobe usable to accomplish the various objectives associated with suchitems. Moreover, the portable caddy of the present invention has beenshown and described to be rectangular in shape and to have otherstructural characteristics. The portable caddy, however, may vary indimension and shape other than those shown. For example, the portablecaddy may be round or otherwise arcuately shaped.

In summary, the present invention is realized in a portable caddy whichis characterized by and may be claimed as a portable caddy comprising aplurality of storage areas for containing cosmetic and/or hygienicitems, and tools associated with their use, at least one of such areasbeing pivotally connected with the caddy for movement between a firstposition in which the area is aligned with the exterior and a secondposition in which the area is angularly disposed therefrom; and amirror-light stand for illuminating and reflecting an image to assist inthe application of the cosmetic and/or hygienic materials, themirror-light stand being freestanding and/or moveable between aplurality of positions to optimize reflection of a user's image.

Accordingly, there is provided a container allowing personal cosmeticsand tools used in their application to be carried from one location toanother, while also providing a source of lighting and image reflectionfor insuring the proper application of such cosmetics. Therefore, it isintended that the appended claims be interpreted as including theembodiments described herein, the alternatives mentioned above, and allequivalents thereto.

1. A portable caddy for transporting a variety of objects and capable inassisting in the application of makeup, comprising: a caddy body; aplurality of drawers slidable into and out of a front of the caddy body;a handle pivotally connected to a top of the caddy body; a mirror standhaving a mirror, the mirror stand adapted to rest on the top of thecaddy body in a stored position and adapted to rest against the handlein a non-stored position, the mirror stand positioned at an anglerelative to the top of the caddy body when in the non-stored position.2. The portable caddy of claim 1, wherein the caddy body includes a brimextending along a front of the top of the caddy body and partiallytoward a rear of the top of the caddy body; and a top of the mirrorstand is adapted to fit within the brim in the stored position.
 3. Theportable caddy of claim 2, wherein the handle is movable between a fullylowered position and a raised position, and two ends of the handle, whenin the fully lowered position, are adjacent to the brim.
 4. The portablecaddy of claim 3, wherein the handle, when in the fully loweredposition, is flush with the brim.
 5. The portable caddy of claim 2,further comprising a plurality of locking mechanisms extending from thebrim and adapted to support the mirror stand in the non-stored position6. The portable caddy of claim 5, wherein the plurality of lockingmechanisms includes a first pair of locking mechanisms disposed on rightand left sides of the brim and adapted to support the mirror stand at afirst angle, and a second pair of locking mechanisms disposed on theright and the left sides of the brim and adapted to support the mirrorstand at a second angle.
 7. The portable caddy of claim 5, wherein eachof the plurality of locking mechanisms is positionable at differentlocations along right and left sides of the brim and support the mirrorstand at a different angle for each of the different locations.
 8. Theportable caddy of claim 2, wherein a top surface of the caddy bodyincludes a ribbed tray, and the brim extends along the ribbed tray. 9.The portable caddy of claim 1, wherein the plurality of drawers includesa plurality of stacked drawers pivotally mounted to the caddy body. 10.The portable caddy of claim 9, wherein the stacked drawers are half moonin shape, and a first of the stacked drawers is pivotally coupled to aleft side of the caddy body, and a second of the stacked drawers ispivotally coupled to a right side of the caddy body.
 11. The portablecaddy of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of drawers is adapted tobe lockable.
 12. The portable caddy of claim 1, further comprising aplurality of shelves extending from left and right sides of the caddybody, and at least one of the shelves includes a plurality of aperturesadapted to support cosmetic tools.
 13. The portable caddy of claim 1,wherein the mirror stand is adapted to be used apart from the caddybody.
 14. The portable caddy of claim 1, wherein the mirror standincluding a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed around themirror.